The moment Joan Baez’s resentment towards Bob Dylan “completely vanished”
Joan Baez was one of the most important figures to spawn out of the 1960s folk circuit. Providing new depth to the work of her peers with wavering vocals and gentle strums, she carved out a place for herself as the queen of covers. Her original songwriting was no less accomplished, comprised of intricate guitar lines and gorgeous poetry. Still, in conversations surrounding her legacy, her name is always brought up in tandem with another: Bob Dylan.
This does not work both ways. While Baez’s place in music is always linked to Dylan’s, the ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ singer has secured a completely standalone legacy. When we talk about Dylan and his contributions to protest songwriting and to lyricism as a whole, Baez’s name rarely comes up in conversation.
Meanwhile, Baez is constantly linked to Dylan for her covers of his songs and for her romantic relationship with him (though it lasted only a couple of years). As someone who had contributed so much to the folk scene outside of Dylan’s influence, it’s easy to see why his continuing presence in her life and in her legacy might breed resentment, but Baez overcame this feeling through another art form.
When The Guardian asked Baez about her name always appearing alongside Dylan’s, the songwriter explained how she was able to push through the “jealousies” and “resentments” she once felt towards him through painting. Once she picked up a paintbrush, with Dylan’s voice keeping her company through the speakers, she found that those negative feelings “completely vanished”.
As she painted, Baez found that her view on the constant connection to Dylan began to change. “And maybe it was to do with this time in my life,” she theorised, “and maybe it was to do with realising that you can hold grudges for only so long. And that it is stupid to hold grudges.” Whether it was the peace that comes with creating art, the time limit to grudges, or Baez’s current state, she managed to go one step further than forgiveness to land upon gratitude.
Rather than resenting Dylan’s permanent place in her legacy, she learned to take it as a compliment rather than a slight on her own talents. Deciding that it was an “honour” to be attached to someone so great, Baez made her own peace with that fact and with Dylan, paintbrush in hand. If you’re going to be intrinsically attached to any artist for the rest of music history, Dylan isn’t a bad option.
Though it makes sense that Baez may have once resented Dylan for overshadowing her legacy, a connection to one of the greatest songwriters of all time is certainly not one to cower away from. Baez’s talents and contributions to folk should be recognised and revered in their own right, and Dylan’s legacy should be used to bolster this rather than reducing her to covers and a short-lived romance.
While Baez’s legacy will likely never reach the same heights as her former lover, she certainly made her own mark on music, and her connection to Dylan does not detract from that. As he continues to permeate lists of the greatest lyricists of all time, Baez will still be remembered as one of the most defining voices of the 1960s folk scene.
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